Victoria Police is on a recruitment drive and as sergeant Joel Carswell proves, you don’t have to be from Victoria or even Australia, to join up.
The 46 year old was born and bred in New Zealand and migrated to Australia in 1999.
Five years later he made another big change by giving up on studying to be a sports psychologist to become a policeman instead.
“I was at university at the time and I had a friend who was a police officer and he was telling a few stories about his adventures and we got talking a bit more about it and decided I would have a go at it a well,” said sergeant Carswell, who almost two decades on, is now based at Werribee Police Station and is encouraging Wyndham locals to make the change he once did .
“They might want to consider if they’re up for an adventure, up for a challenge and up for a constant changing environment,” he said of what prospective recruits could expect from a career in the force.
“And up for at the end of the day having a few stories to tell your colleagues and friends.”
Sergeant Carswell’s career path means he can now tell stories about stints with Australian Federal Police, Border Force and the Australian Crime Intelligence Commission before arriving in Wyndham in late 2021.
“I’m enjoying the challenge of being a sergeant, managing resources and responding to 000 calls in the Wyndham area.”
It’s questions from potential recruits that police will be responding to at a careers expo in Hoppers Crossing next Monday night.
One of those inquiries is sure to be what the best thing about being a police officer is?
For sergeant Carswell, it’s an easy answer.
“The people you work with are by far the greatest part of being in Victoria police.”
To book, visit: rb.gy/qo4an
Cade Lucas
